9  WWlItlW  Mil,  :•  I 


7 


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New  York  State 

Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home, 


♦  ♦  .  Bath. 


mm 


PHOTOGRAVURES. 


mm 


Copyright  1901  by 

A.   W ITOCMANN, 

The  Albektype  Co.,  PrBr-isneK  ok  American  Views, 

BROOKLYN,    N.  Y.  25()   ADAMS    St..     BROOKLYN,  Y. 


£x  Htbrtfi 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


~t '  ~Tort  nwiw  ^im^trJa-m,  oj>  Je  M<rnhatans 


FORT    NEW  AMSTERDAM 


(NEW  YORK  )  ,  1651. 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
" Ever'thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  book." 


'HE  New  York  State  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home  is  located  one  mile  and  a  half  northwest 
of  the  village  of  Bath  in  the  beautiful  Conhocton  Valley,  which  at  this  point  is  about 
half  a  mile  wide,  and  nearly  surrounded  by  verdant  hills  gracefully  ascending  to  a  height 
of  several  hundred  feet. 

The  Conhocton  River  skirts  along  the  easterly  boundary  of  the  picturesque  grounds  of  the 
Home,  which  are  artistically  laid  out  in  a  park  transversed  with  shady  boulevards  and  pleasant 
walks  and  generously  adorned  with  fine  old  trees,  choice  shrubs,  plants  and  flowers.  At  night 
these  grounds  are  brilliantly  illuminated  by  electric  lights.  The  Heme  farm  comprises  about 
350  acres  of  fertile  upland  and  furnishes,  for  the  use  of  the  Home,  large  quantities  of  vegetables 
and  other  farm  products.  One  passes  the  Commandant's  residence  to  ihe  left,  ascends  the 
wooded  pathway  and  lands  upon  an  immense  field  of  potatoes  covering  the  entire  crown  of  the 
hill  and  ending  apparently  where  the  sky  begins.  Thrift  and  order  speak  out  from  the  nicely 
terraced  rows  of  plants,  also  a  >urmise  that  the  supply  may  keep  pace  with  a  liberal  consump- 
tion. From  this  point  offer  beautiful  views  north  of  the  Home  grounds  and  south  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Bath.    The  grounds  are  kept  in  the  most  perfect  order. 

The  principal  buildings  of  the  Home  are  five  story  brick  barracks  affording  accommoda- 
tions for  1,700  men,  a  spacious  hospital  with  a  c.ipacity  for  300  patients  and  attendants,  a 
handsome  building  for  headquarters,  a  chapel,  an  amusement  hall,  a  green-house,  boiler  and 
engine-house,  bakery,  laundry  and  bath-house,  nurnerous,workshops  and  storehouses.  There 
is  also  a  Home  store,  a  well  supplied  reading  room  and  a  library  of  10,000  volumes.  All  these 
buildings  are  warmed  by  steam  and  lighted  by  electricity  generated  at  the  Home  by  its  own 
plant,  which  furnishes  900  incandescent  lights  of  16  candle  power  each  for  interior  of  build- 
ings and  12  outside  arc  lights  of  2,000  candle  pow  er  each. 

To  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  of  the  State  of  New  York  is  due  the  establishment  cf 
this  home.  Under  their  beneficient  auspices  it  wTas  incorporated  in  1876  and  $100,000  raised 
by  subscription  ;  then,  in  1878,  the  property  with  the  buildings  gratuitously  transferred  to  the 
State  of  New  York  as  a  home  for  its  disabled  veteran  soldiers  and  sailors.    The  opening  took 


place  on  Christmas  day,  1878,  with  admission  of  25  veterans,  since  which  time  there  have  been 
some  S.joo  admissions  and  1,320  deaths  in  the  Home.  Those  on  the  rolls  number  1,725,  those 
present  1,450.  Their  average  age  is  63  years.  The  different  branches  cf  the  service  furnished 
in  1S94:  Regular  army  128,  volunteers  5.522,  navy  350.  Foreign  born  were  3,200,  native  born 
2,800  ;  those  who  had  trades  3,710,  married  1,752,  single  4,248.  Thereof  4,023  could  read  and 
write,  and  1,977  could  not.  During  the  last  five  years  there  has  been  an  increase  in  these 
numbers  of  about  10  per  cent. 

The  pensions  are  received  by  the  Home  cashier  and  credited  to  each  man,  who  on  every 
Tuesday  can  draw  $1.50  for  spending  money.  This  arrangement  compels  the  men  to  save,  so 
they  can  contribute  to  their  families  or  lay-  away  enough  of  sustenance  for  their  customary 
ninety  days'  furlough.  The  profits  from  the  "canteen"  go  into  the  Contingent  fund  which 
now  amounts  to  several  thousand  dollars.  • 

The  new  amusement  hall  in  course  of  erection  will  be  a  brick  building,  one  story  high, 
with  Indiana  lime  stone  trimmings,  62x128  feet.    Seating  capacity  w  11  be  1,200. 

The  new  Post  Exchange  building,  or  canteen,  is  nearly  completed,  and  will  be  a  two-story 
frame  building,  24x48  feet,  with  an  extension  cf  10x24  feet. 

Entertainments  of  various  nature  are  given  in  the  amusement  hall,  which  is  also  the 
headquarters  of  the  musical  band  There  are  tailor,  paint,  shoe,  barber,  maehine,  tin,  black- 
smith, carpenter  shops  and  various  stores  r  perated  by  the  veterans,  so  that  the  whole  forms  a 
little  city  by  itself. 

In  the  chapel  services  are  held  every  Sunday,  also  when  a  member  is  carried  to  his  last 
rest  in  the  cemetery.  Here  sleep  over  1.200  of  the  brave  men  whose  last  days  were  made 
-.uifjrable  or  c  >mfi >rtable  by  a  staff  of  devoted  physicians  and  nurses,  among  them  several 
trained  female  nurses.  The  cemetery  overlooks  the  H<  n  e  and  the  valley,  and  has  been  beauti- 
fied, through  the  generous  gift  of  Capt.  Samuel  Dietz,  of  New  York  City,  by  a  tall  granite 
shaft  which  stands  a  crowning  ornament  to  this  soldiers'  eden. 

October  15TH.  1900. 


General  View  of  the  Home. 


c 


Officers  of  N.  Y.  State  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home. 


Headquarters. 


* 


Main  Drive— North  View. 


Barracks  A,  B  and  C, 


Band  Stand. 


Barracks  H  and  I. 


Barracks  C.  Barracks  D,  E,  F,  Dining  Hall. 

The  Battery. 


1 


Dining  Hall. 


New  Amusement  Hall— Seating  Capacity  1200. 


1 


i 


Hospital. 


New  Post  Exchange  or  Canteen. 


V 


Commandant's  Residence  and  Entrance  to  Main  Drive. 


Scene  on  the  Conhocton.  The  Adjutant's  and  Surgeon's  Residences. 


1f 


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Bath,  New  York  and  the  Conhocton  River. 


The  Home  Soldiers'  Monument  and  Cemetery. 


